Neo-noir

Last updated

Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during and after World War II in the United States roughly from 1940 to 1960. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term "neo-noir" surged in popularity, fueled by movies such as Sydney Pollack's Absence of Malice , Brian De Palma's Blow Out , and Martin Scorsese's After Hours . The French term film noir [1] translates literally to English as "dark film" or “black film”, because they were quite dark both in lighting and in sinister stories often presented in a shadowy cinematographic style. Neo-noir has a similar style but with updated themes, content, style, and visual elements.

Contents

Definition

The neologism neo-noir, using the Greek prefix for the word new, is defined by Mark Conard as "any film coming after the classic noir period that contains noir themes and noir sensibility". [2] Another definition describes it as later noir that often synthesizes diverse genres while foregrounding the scaffolding of film noir. [3]

History

"Film noir" was coined by critic Nino Frank in 1946 and popularized by French critics Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton in 1955. [1] The term revived in general use beginning in the 1980s, with a revival of the style.

The classic film noir era is usually dated from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. The films were often adaptations of American crime novels, which were also described as "hardboiled". Some authors resisted these terms. For example, James M. Cain, author of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) and Double Indemnity (1944), is considered to be one of the defining authors of hard-boiled fiction. Both novels were adapted as crime films, the former more than once. Cain is quoted as saying, "I belong to no school, hard-boiled or otherwise, and I believe these so-called schools exist mainly in the imagination of critics, and have little correspondence in reality anywhere else." [4]

Characteristics

Neo-noir film directors refer to 'classic noir' in the use of Dutch angles, interplay of light and shadows, unbalanced framing; blurring of the lines between good and bad and right and wrong, and thematic motifs including revenge, paranoia, and alienation. [5]

Typically American crime dramas or psychological thrillers, films noir had common themes and plot devices, and many distinctive visual elements. Characters were often conflicted antiheroes, trapped in a difficult situation and making choices out of desperation or nihilistic moral systems. Visual elements included low-key lighting, striking use of light and shadow, and unusual camera placement. Sound effects helped create the noir mood of paranoia and nostalgia. [6]

Few major films in the classic film noir genre have been made since the early 1960s. These films usually incorporated both thematic and visual elements reminiscent of film noir. Both classic and neo-noir films are often produced as independent features.[ citation needed ]

After 1970, film critics took note of "neo-noir" films as a separate genre. Noir and post-noir terminology (such as "hard-boiled", "neo-classic" and the like) are often rejected by both critics and practitioners.[ citation needed ]

Robert Arnett stated, "Neo-noir has become so amorphous as a genre/movement, any film featuring a detective or crime qualifies." [7] Screenwriter and director Larry Gross identifies Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville , alongside John Boorman's Point Blank (1967) and Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973), based on Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel, as neo-noir films. Gross believes that they deviate from classic noir in having more of a sociological than a psychological focus. [8] Neo noir features characters who commit violent crimes, but without the motivations and narrative patterns found in film noir. [3]

Neo noir assumed global character and impact when filmmakers began drawing elements from films in the global market. For instance, Quentin Tarantino's works have been influenced by Ringo Lam's 1987 classic City on Fire . [9] This was particularly the case for the noir-inflected Reservoir Dogs , which was instrumental in establishing Tarantino in October 1992. [10]

This[ clarification needed ] was further expanded upon with the John Wick film franchise in the 2010s. Directed by stuntman Chad Stahelski, the series utilizes noir motifs including the use of light and shadow, complex moralities in its hero and villains, and classic noir motives. [11] In the first film the title character is motivated by revenge; in the second he is placed in a difficult situation and branded as a pariah from his community; and in the third and fourth he seeks a path to redemption and exiting his former life. The series also draws inspiration from the hard-boiled genre's theme of an anti-hero attempting to take down a sprawling criminal organization. Though Wick is not an agent of the law, he is depicted as representing the side of retributive justice and moral forthrightness in a setting otherwise populated by criminals. The series also has a heavy emphasis on violent action, particularly with the use of firearms. In this, Stahelski draws inspiration from Hong Kong action cinema and Korean neo-noir, such as Hard Boiled and The Man from Nowhere. [12] [13] [ relevant? discuss ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film noir</span> Cinematic term used to describe stylized feature film crime dramas

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylized Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American film noir. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key, black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and attitudes expressed in classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Great Depression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film genre</span> Classification of films based on similarities in narrative elements

A film genre is a stylistic or thematic category for motion pictures based on similarities either in the narrative elements, aesthetic approach, or the emotional response to the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western (genre)</span> Multimedia genre

The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime fiction</span> Genre of fiction focusing on crime

Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, often a murder. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as historical fiction or science fiction, but the boundaries are indistinct. Crime fiction has several subgenres, including detective fiction, courtroom drama, hard-boiled fiction, and legal thrillers. Most crime drama focuses on crime investigation and does not feature the courtroom. Suspense and mystery are key elements that are nearly ubiquitous to the genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime film</span> Film genre

Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as drama or gangster film, but also include comedy, and, in turn, is divided into many sub-genres, such as mystery, suspense or noir.

Heroic bloodshed is a genre invented by Hong Kong action cinema revolving around stylized action sequences and dramatic themes, such as brotherhood, duty, honour, redemption, and violence that has become a popular genre used by different directors worldwide. The term heroic bloodshed was coined by editor Rick Baker in the magazine Eastern Heroes in the late 1980s, specifically referring to the styles of directors John Woo and Ringo Lam. Baker defined the genre as "a Hong Kong action film that features a lot of gun play and gangsters rather than kung fu. Lots of blood. Lots of action." Heroic bloodshed films often feature gun fu action sequences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Macdonald</span> American writer (1915–1983)

Ross Macdonald was the main pseudonym used by the American-Canadian writer of crime fiction Kenneth Millar. He is best known for his series of hardboiled novels set in Southern California and featuring private detective Lew Archer. Since the 1970s, Macdonald's works have received attention in academic circles for their psychological depth, sense of place, use of language, sophisticated imagery and integration of philosophy into genre fiction. Brought up in the province of Ontario, Canada, Macdonald eventually settled in the state of California, where he died in 1983.

Hardboiled fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction. The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence of organized crime that flourished during Prohibition (1920–1933) and its aftermath, while dealing with a legal system that has become as corrupt as the organized crime itself. Rendered cynical by this cycle of violence, the detectives of hardboiled fiction are often antiheroes. Notable hardboiled detectives include Dick Tracy, Philip Marlowe, Nick Charles, Mike Hammer, Sam Spade, Lew Archer, Slam Bradley, and The Continental Op.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noir fiction</span> Subgenre of crime fiction

Noir fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction.

Pulp noir is a subgenre influenced by various "noir" genres, as well as pulp fiction genres; particularly the hard-boiled genres which help give rise to film noir. Pulp noir is marked by its use of classic noir techniques, but with urban influences. Various media include film, illustrations, photographs and videogames.

Vincent Calvino is a fictional Bangkok-based private eye created by Christopher G. Moore in the Vincent Calvino Private Eye series. Vincent Calvino first appeared in 1992 in Spirit House, the first novel in the series. His latest appearance is in Jumpers, the 16th novel in the series published in October 2016. "Hewn from the hard-boiled Dashiell Hammett/Raymond Chandler model, Calvino is a tough, somewhat tarnished hero with a heart of gold."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tech noir</span> Hybrid genre of fiction, combining film noir and science fiction

Tech-noir is a hybrid genre of fiction, particularly film, combining film noir and science fiction, epitomized by Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982) and James Cameron's The Terminator (1984). The tech-noir presents "technology as a destructive and dystopian force that threatens every aspect of our reality".

George Caryl Sims, better known by his pen names Paul Cain and Peter Ruric, was an American pulp fiction author and screenwriter. He is best known for his novel Fast One, which is considered to be a landmark of the pulp fiction genre and was called the "high point in the ultra hard-boiled manner" by Raymond Chandler. Lee Server, author of the Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers, called Fast One "a cold-hearted, machine-gun-paced masterwork" and his other writings "gemlike, stoic and merciless vignettes that seemed to come direct from the bootlegging front lines."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thriller film</span> Film genre

Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. Tension is created by delaying what the audience sees as inevitable, and is built through situations that are menacing or where escape seems impossible.

A list of reference works on the film noir genre of film. See Bibliography of film by genre for other genres.

<i>John Wick</i> (film) 2014 American film directed by Chad Stahelski

John Wick is a 2014 American action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. Keanu Reeves stars as John Wick, a legendary hitman who comes out of retirement to seek revenge against the men who killed his dog, a final gift from his recently deceased wife. The film also stars Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, and Willem Dafoe.

<i>John Wick: Chapter 2</i> 2017 American film directed by Chad Stahelski

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-noir action-thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. The film is a sequel to John Wick (2014) and the second installment in the John Wick franchise. It stars Keanu Reeves as the title character, alongside Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare, Bridget Moynahan, Franco Nero, John Leguizamo, and Ian McShane. In the film, retired hitman John Wick is forced back into his old life to fulfill a blood oath to crime lord Santino D'Antonio (Scamarcio).

John Wick is an American neo-noir action film series and media franchise created by Derek Kolstad. It centers around the titular character portrayed by actor Keanu Reeves. Wick is a legendary hitman who is reluctantly drawn back into the criminal underworld after retiring. The franchise began with the release of John Wick in 2014, followed by three sequels: Chapter 2 in 2017, Chapter 3 – Parabellum in 2019, and Chapter 4 in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 Borde, Raymond [in French]; Chaumeton, Etienne (2002). A panorama of American film noir (1941–1953). San Francisco: City Lights Books. ISBN   978-0872864122.
  2. Mark Conard. The Philosophy of Neo-noir. The Univ of Kentucky Press, 2007, p2.
  3. 1 2 Pettey, Homer B. (2014). International Noir. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 62. ISBN   9780748691104.
  4. O'Brien, Geoffrey (1981). Hardboiled America – The Lurid Years of Paperbacks. New York; Cincinnati: Van Nostrand Reinhold. pp.  71–72. ISBN   0-442-23140-7.
  5. What is Neo Noir? Definition and Essential Examples – No Film School
  6. Bould, Mark; Glitre, Kathrina; Tuck, Greg (2009). Neo-Noir. London: Wallflower Press. pp.  44. ISBN   9781906660178.
  7. Arnett, Robert (Fall 2006). "Eighties Noir: The Dissenting Voice in Reagan's America". Journal of Popular Film and Television . 34 (3): 123–129. doi:10.3200/JPFT.34.3.123-129. S2CID   190713884.
  8. "Where to begin with neo-noir". British Film Institute. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  9. Grant, Barry Keith (2003). Film Genre Reader III. Austin: University of Texas Press. pp.  525. ISBN   0292701845.
  10. Verevis, Constantine (2006). Film Remakes . Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp.  173. ISBN   0748621865.
  11. Collinson, Gary (October 24, 2014). "An interview with Derek Kolstad, screenwriter of John Wick". Flickering Myth. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  12. "Chad Stahelski & David Leitch, longtime stunt coordinators & performers, founders of 87Eleven Action Design, and the filmmakers responsible for the new Keanu Reeves action-thriller John Wick... Ask us anything!". Reddit . September 30, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  13. "John Wick Directors Talk World-Building & Not Killing a Dog in the Sequel". PixMovies. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.